Nightingales & Lions
by done.with.marblesxx
Summary: RETIRED. "What are you doing?" she yelped. "Taking you outside. You said you would leave after one day, remember?" "Not in a rug!" "Details, details." Drabble.
1. one: wicked

**Nightingales & Lions**

_Written by donewithmarblesxx

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**Author's Note: **I couldn't escape the crush of writer's block so I only have some drabbles for my readers. The prompts come from Livejournal's _Quill It _community (Prompt Table 100.3); all entries are loosely based off the prompts. Reviews are always appreciated!

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_one : wicked_

With a satisfied grin, Sirius Black shook out the remnants of the itching powder onto his mother's powder puff. _That should do it... _he mused, shoving the box into his back pocket.

He nearly slipped out of the room, ready to act innocent when the hag would start clawing at her face. (He could hear the screams already.) But he realized the presence of someone else, a pair of eyes driving into his back.

Twitching slightly, Sirius slowly turned to look behind him.

A girl balanced on the window ledge and met his gaze unshrinkingly. And she looked _very _amused.


	2. two: laughter

_two : laughter_

The girl burst out laughing without warning, leaning back perilously out the window; if not careful, she could tip out easily.

With an embarrassed scowl, Sirius hissed, "Would you shut up? You'll get me caught–"

She interrupted his demand with another snort of giggles. Realizing Kreacher could lurk into the room at any moment, Sirius pleaded. "_Please _be–"

"Aren't you petty?" said the girl, amused. "You're such a child."

Like he'd never heard _that _before.

"Shut up–"

She snickered again. Sirius cursed.

He contemplated on shoving her out the window, but to his disappointment, she hopped down from the ledge.


	3. three: picture

_three : picture_

"What a pretty picture, seeing a teenage boy dusting his mother's powder puff with itching powder like any seven-year-old–"

"Merlin, _will you shut up?_" Sirius finally barked in irritation. "And what do you know? It's none of your business!"

Her eyes shone with amusement. "So?"

"That means you should _shut up about it_." Sirius clenched his teeth. "Know what's happening before you start blabbing!"

The girl surprisingly seemed unfazed by his admonishment. She merely leaned against the violet-colored wall and flicked a ball of lint off her shoulder. She glanced up at Sirius with a wolfish grin.

"It's still funny."


	4. four: wet

_four : wet_

"Why were you sitting on my window?"

The girl had the nerve to flick an amused glance at him. "Do you usually shove people you meet in closets instead of taking them to your sitting-room and giving them nice things to eat?" She examined the dusty closet she had been forced into. "This is very rude of you."

"Merlin, why do you never shut up?" Sirius snapped. "And why are you so _wet_?" He stared at his damp hand which had been clutching the girl's shoulder moments before.

"It's called rain. It usually causes wetness."

Sirius glared. She smiled sweetly.


	5. five: exposed

_five : exposed_

Sirius realized he would be severely missed if he skipped dinner. He also decided he couldn't send the girl away; despite her cheek, she seemed miserable and hungry and needed to change out of her wet clothes.

"You can't–" Sirius began, but interrupted by the dinner bell. He cursed.

"Stay here and don't come out," he said hurriedly as the girl stared at him with wide eyes. "I'll come back with food." He paused at the door. "And a plan." She nodded.

He closed the door behind him and hurried away, worried thoughts swarming his mind. Wasn't this a mess!


	6. six: day

_six : day_

"One day."

"Alright, just one day."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

After surviving dinner, Sirius had fed and dressed the girl who was now snuggled in his bed. Sirius lay on the floor. She giggled, kicking her feet under the sheets.

"_What _is so funny?" he snapped, tired of her laugh.

"This diary," she said. "I like this entry where you wrote, 'I think I'm turning into a werewolf because I'm growing hair _down there_–'"

"Give me that!" Sirius jumped up and snatched the book from his hands, his face red. She giggled again, burying her face into the cotton of the pillow.


	7. seven: tranquil

_seven : tranquil_

The birds outside Sirius' window enjoyed twittering their songs at seven in the morning. Naturally, Sirius did not share their love of early morning.

With a loud roar, he jumped from the floor and yelled at the birds for ruining his sleep, but they merely shot a taunting tweet over their shoulders and flew away.

Growling, he glanced at the bed. The girl was asleep, rolled into a ball...

"Sirius–" Regulus. _Merlin._ He stood at the door, staring at the scene with wide eyes.

"What are you–"

"Close the door!" Sirius pulled his brother into the room. "And _shut up_."

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From what I've received from reviews, a lot of people are annoyed at the vagueness and the short length of the chapters. Firstly, as it's in the summary, these are drabbles, meaning there are only 100 words per chapter. This is on purpose. Secondly, I apologize for not being more specific about the girl and all, but everything is revealed in later chapters. This is just part of the plot.

So sorry if you're bothered by it, but this is the last time I'm going to apologize for the shortness of chapters. It is a _drabble_, for Merlin's sake.


	8. eight: conceal

_eight : conceal_

"What were you _thinking_, bringing her here! Mother's going to have a ghoul!"

"I know!" Sirius rubbed his head. "I didn't mean for it to happen. She just... showed up."

Regulus glanced at Sirius, then at the sleeping girl. "What are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do? I'm going to kick her out, of course!" Regulus looked shocked. "I _told _her she could stay for only one day. And she agreed."

"But you can't just shove her out the front door! Mother will see her! And _you_!"

"'Course not. I'll just have to smuggle her out."


	9. nine: bound

_nine : bound_

"She's not waking up! What do we do? We have to go down to breakfast!"

"We'll just take her out like this then."

"Half-naked?"

"No, you idiot, still _sleeping_."

Regulus made an expression of comprehension.

"Get the rug from the Emerald Room."

"Why?"

"Just do it!"

It took a while, but Regulus managed to drag the rug into Sirius' room. Sirius began wrapping the girl into it.

"What are you doing?"

"Putting her in the rug. Sort of a disguise. Now let's take her out and Mother will never know."

Regulus seemed dubious. Sirius sighed.

"Just grab the other end..."


	10. ten: precious

_ten : precious_

The rug from the Emerald Room was _not happy_. Not happy at all. And why should he be? (Yes, rugs have genders too. Let's try not forget that.)

He, the most precious of all precious rugs and a great favorite of his owner's, was being handled in the most horrid way. Two boys gripped his sides, probably muddying his beautiful weaving with their clumsy fingers.

And he was wrapped around a _girl_ of all things! She was drooling on him and snoring and sniffing and performing every human bodily function ever imagined!

He was not happy. Not happy at all.

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Yes, I wrote about a rug. Don't judge.


	11. eleven: slow

_eleven : slow_

"Merlin, hurry _up_, Regulus!"

"What do you think I'm doing?"

"Being bloody slow! Move your fat–"

"_Help! Help!_"

"Damn, she's awake." He poked the rug rather roughly. "Be quiet, you!"

"What are you _doing_?" she yelped loudly.

"Taking you outside. You said you would leave after one day, remember?"

"_Not in a rug!_"

"Details, details."

"Why in a rug?"

"You were asleep."

"_You could've woke me up!_"

"_Mmm..._ No, we couldn't."

The girl squealed when Regulus nearly tripped over his own feet. Sirius yelled at him for being slow and clumsy. The rug generously sprinkled curses all around.

Glorious morning.


	12. twelve: courage

_twelve : courage_

"Really, you could've–"

"_Shh!_" Sirius stopped and after surveying the scene around him, cursed. Regulus followed suit.

"What's wrong?" the girl whispered.

"The house. It changed."

"What?"

"The _passageway_. I forgot it was Wednesday."

"What are you _talking _about?"

Regulus shot Sirius a look. "You brought home a _muggle_?"

"I didn't know," Sirius hissed. "She just–"

"Well. Good morning, Sirius. Regulus. And what's this?"

Furiously poking the rug to stop wriggling, Sirius flicked a gaze over his shoulder and immediately began cursing under his breath. He slowly faced the source of the voice with Regulus.

"Good morning Mother," he sighed.


	13. thirteen: sand

_thirteen : sand_

Facing his mother with Sirius when they had her favorite rug in hand (with a girl inside) was the most uncomfortable experience Regulus had experienced in his short thirteen years. His mouth went dry as if someone had poured sand into it.

"Just beating out your rug for you," Sirius lied swiftly. Missus Black raised her eyebrows.

"And who is _this_?"

"Your rug, Mother." Sirius smirked. "Perhaps you need spectacles if you can't recognize your own rug..."

"Don't take me for a _fool_," she hissed venomously, her eyes flashing. "To your rooms. Return the rug to the Emerald Room _immediately_!"


	14. fourteen: inside

**Nightingales & Lions**

_fourteen : inside_

As the two boys bickered to themselves, the girl inside realized her difficult predicament. She was finding girls weren't made to be rolled inside rugs. The texture of the rug chafed against her cheeks unpleasantly.

"It's so hot in here," she grumbled to _herself _since the boys wouldn't pay attention to her. They merely yelled at her if she uttered even one word. _What caring mates... _she thought.

The heat inside the rug toasted her ears and the gentle rocking from the boy's steps lured her to sleep. She could hear a harsher voice, but paid little attention.

Falling asleep...


	15. fifteen: brown

_fifteen : brown_

Sometimes, Regulus wished he had brown hair. Or that Grimmauld's Place had a patch of brown in the decor. Or that his mother would sometimes wear brown.

But everything was dressed in emerald or black, violet or ruby; no simple colors for them.

"We are not _common_," sneered Mother. "I expect you to act like a true Black."

But _he_ wanted to be normal. He didn't want to tell her the girl was a muggle. He was tired of being an uncommon pureblood.

So when asked about the rug, Regulus stared at her.

"Nothing," he lied. "Beating out your rug."


	16. sixteen: hands

_sixteen : hands_

Sirius hurriedly grabbed the girl by her shoulders and shook her. Her eyes popped open and widened when she saw him.

"Your face! What happened?" Trust _that_ to be the first thing mentioned. Sirius touched the red handprint stamped to his cheek and shook his head.

"Nothing. Mother. Get up! Hurry, follow me."

She quickly scrambled up from the ground, but paused to reach out to graze the mark. Sirius flinched and turned away.

"Just follow me."

"Where are we going? Why can't we stay here?"

"Mother's going to come back any minute," Sirius said. "We're going to the toilet."


	17. seventeen: not enough

_seventeen : not enough_

"Higher!"

"I _can't_! You're too heavy!"

"Shut up! Just give me a higher boost!"

The girl stood on Sirius' shoulders, reaching out for the high window in the toilet. It was not the best choice as the window led to the large rubbish bin behind Grimmauld's Place, but it was far better than facing Walburga Black's wrath.

"Almost there..." she breathed, stretching her hands.

Sirius' knees shivered under the strain and suddenly collapsed. With a scream, the girl smashed onto him, leaving the two moaning from pain under the small and seemingly taunting window. High heels clacked into view.

"Sirius?"


	18. eighteen: lies

_eighteen : lies_

"You were to remain in your room and you disobey me! What are you doing?"

"Having a picnic, of course. What do _you _think?"

"Sirius Black, you will _tell _me the reason for this. Is this another one of your whores like McKinnon?"

"You don't even know who she is! Keep your mouth _shut _if you have no fucking clue!"

"_You will not speak to me in that way! I am your mother!_"

"Barely." Sirius sneered. "Keep lying that you're a _great _mother. I read that article, you know. You lie so well."

Walburga Black's eyes flashed. She stepped closer.


	19. nineteen: new

_nineteen : new_

"Lift your head girl."

"_Don't_ talk to her like that."

"True Blacks do not talk back to their mothers." Walburga's eyes were cold with contempt.

"I know. That's why I talk back to you." Sirius glared. "_Hag_."

"You are a _disappointment_," she spat.

"Isn't that new? It's like I've never heard it before!"

"You will be silent! You're a disgrace!"

"I'm _glad_."

Furious, Walburga Black turned to the girl, screeching, "_Lift your head!_" Frightened, she complied. She met the gaze of Walburga.

Walburga Black stared. She stammered as the anger in her eyes melted to shock.

"Why, princess!" she gaped.


	20. twenty: belief

_twenty : belief_

The girl sat in front of a vanity while a house-elf pulled her hair into a bun. She studied her reflection solemnly.

"Princess Sophia Amoretti?" It was Sirius Black, standing in the doorway with a sour expression. He promptly ordered the house-elf out of the room.

"Could you call me Sophie?"

"But you're still a real princess?"

"I suppose," she murmured, playing with the hem of her dress. "Your mother seems to believe I am."

Sirius leaned over her with a frown. "Don't you believe that too, _Sophie_?"

She looked into the mirror.

"Of course." Resolute, but her voice wavered.


	21. twentyone: whimsy

_twenty-one : whimsy_

Sitting at the dinner table was uncomfortable as she faced the too-wide smiles of the Blacks. She was glad the boys at least were uninterested.

"It's delightful that you've come to visit," simpered Missus Black. "But whatever made you travel to London?"

Sophie laughed awkwardly. "Whimsy?"

Mister Black chuckled. "Yes, of course! Do you remember the garden party last summer, Walburga?"

"Oh, yes!" The two chuckled while Sophie look confused.

"That was a fantastic party," Missus Black gushed. "How ever did you think of those things? Queen of Whimsy, we named you. Do you remember?"

She gulped. "Yes, of course."


	22. twentytwo: explosion

_twenty-two : explosion_

Sirius could barely contain himself. Watching his parents trip over their own feet to gain the girl's favor was pathetic and disgusting.

They were trying to lure her into marriage; she was a pureblood princess of the right age who was fabulously rich and was obviously a socialite. A fantastic addition to the Black family tree.

He felt lied to. The girl had clearly been toying with him. He cursed himself for his attempt at chivalry and wondered how much she had secretly laughed at him.

Stabbing his dinner angrily, Sirius wished the house would explode and kill them all.


	23. twentythree: just

_twenty-three : just_

After being dismissed, Sirius stomped to his bedroom, seething. He nearly shut the door behind him when Regulus spoke.

"A princess, huh?"

Sirius snorted. "Congratulations. You're not _completely _thick after all."

Regulus ignored the sarcasm. "Wouldn't never guessed..."

"I would've. Go away."

"Why are you grumpy? You weren't trying to rescue her, were you–"

"_Regulus! _Just!" Sirius glared at him. "Just shut up, okay?"

Smirk. "Did I hurt your lion heart?"

Pulling a Dungbomb from his pocket, Sirius quickly tossed it into Regulus' room. Regulus yelped.

"Did I hurt your snakey nose?"

Sirius slammed the door shut behind him. _Git_...


	24. twentyfour: frustrated

_twenty-four : frustrated_

"He won't accept it, Walburga."

"I am fully aware, Orion."

Mister and Missus Black sat in front of a cooling flame, the Mister smoking while the Missus sipped tea.

"He is a frustrating boy," growled Orion Black, chomping on the cigar. "You raised him too soft."

"I raised him the same way I raised Regulus," Walburga hissed, "and look how Regulus turned out. A perfect son. Sirius is just a rotten egg. It happens every few generations."

Orion scowled. "I want to match him with Amoretti. Think of the connections we would make."

"Yes, royalty." Walburga sniffed. "What we deserve."


	25. twentyfive: demons

_twenty-five : demons_

They came at night, tickling his feet and mussing his hair as they whispered half-truths into his defenseless ears. They showed him horrifying images without remorse and probed the unhealed injuries of his heart.

_You're a _disgrace_._

_ It's fundamental good breeding to obey your parents._

_ A Black... How your mother would _love _you if you behaved like a true Black..._

_ Going against family! You are going to pay one day. How can you survive without family?_

What could he do but succumb to the demons? Sirius ignored them during the day. He feared them at night. And they returned unfailingly.


End file.
